Real Madrid's dressing room is sinking into a serious crisis just days before the El Clasico match with Barcelona, when a series of clashes, internal conflicts and controversies surrounding Kylian Mbappe were continuously exposed.
The focus of tension was the clash between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni at the Valdebebas training ground. According to the Spanish press, the conflict began last Wednesday when the two midfielders exchanged words while training and continued to argue in the dressing room. Valverde is said to suspect Tchouameni of disclosing internal information to the media.
The next day, the situation escalated seriously. Valverde continued to question his French teammate before the two sides refused to shake hands and a fierce clash occurred during practice. Tchouameni is believed to have pushed Valverde to fall and hit his head on the ground, causing the Uruguayan midfielder to be hospitalized to sew his head injury.
Real Madrid then confirmed that Valverde suffered a head injury and will be out for 10 to 14 days, meaning he will miss El Clasico this weekend. The Royal Spanish team also opened disciplinary procedures with both Valverde and Tchouameni.
However, Valverde denied the fight. He said he only "accidentally bumped into the table" and affirmed that no violence occurred between the two.
My teammates didn't hit me and I didn't hit him either. Fatigue and disappointment make everything seen more seriously than reality" - Valverde said.
However, the incident still made the atmosphere at the Bernabeu extremely tense. President Florentino Perez is said to have convened an emergency meeting at the club's training center to handle the internal situation.
This is not the first time Real Madrid has had rumors of instability in recent times. Previously, Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras also had a fierce clash on the training ground. Although the two quickly made up, the incident still clearly reflected cracks in the dressing room.
Mbappe has also become a source of controversy. The French striker is said to have been angry with a member of Alvaro Arbeloa's coaching staff during training before the match against Real Betis last month after being caught offside.
Not stopping there, Mbappe also suffered a wave of fierce criticism from Los Blancos fans after appearing on a yacht in Sardinia with his girlfriend while recovering from a hamstring injury. The vacation took place at the same time as Real Madrid's performance declined and almost lost the opportunity to compete for titles.
An online petition requesting Real Madrid to sell Mbappe has even attracted millions of signatures in a short time. Many fans believe that the French striker is prioritizing the 2026 World Cup over the club, especially when he is still likely to return in the El Clasico match against Barcelona.
Mbappe's agent then had to speak out to affirm that the striker is completely focused on the recovery process and the current criticisms do not reflect his professionalism or efforts.
In that context, Real Madrid also faces the risk of returning empty for the second consecutive season. Barcelona is 11 points ahead of them in La Liga and just a draw in El Clasico is enough to be crowned champion. This may also be the first time in nearly a century that the championship of the Spanish domestic league is directly decided by a El Clasico match.
Consecutive instability also puts a big question mark on the future of interim coach Alvaro Arbeloa. Previously, Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso in January after a series of disappointing results and accusations that the stars did not want to follow his strict tactical requirements.
Currently, Perez is said to be considering a major reform at the end of the season, in which Jose Mourinho suddenly emerges as a potential candidate for the head coach seat at the Bernabeu.
